A Florida mom got the fright of her life when she discovered that her son was being tracked by strangers.
Jackie Giurleo, a resident of Brevard County, was shocked when she began receiving alerts on her phone about an AirTag tracking her 7-year-old son Aidan's location. The only issue was -- Giurleo didn't own any AirTags, WOFL. reported.
AirTags are tracking devices, about the size of a quarter, developed by Apple that can be used to tag items you don't want to lose, such as keys, luggage or even pets.
Giurleo began to get the alert after the family attended a Christmas parade on Jackson Avenue in Satellite Beach. She immediately sprang into action, scouring her son's belongings, trying to locate the unknown AirTag. Her worst fears were realized when she finally discovered the tracker hidden in the sole of Aidan's shoe.
"It was every mother's worst nightmare," Giurleo said. "When we found it, my heart just dropped. Honestly, my knees gave out because it was inside my son's shoe," she said, according to WOFL.
Giurleo reported the incident to the Brevard County Sheriff's Office. Deputies launched an investigation, subpoenaing Apple to try to determine the owner of the AirTag.
Thankfully, it turned out to be a simple case of switched shoes.
It was discovered that the AirTag actually belonged to an Oklahoma family who had been vacationing in Florida with their son.
Apparently, the two young boys had accidentally swapped shoes after playing in a bounce house at the Christmas parade. The Oklahoma family, who used the AirTag to keep track of their child, had no idea their device had been unknowingly tracking Aidan Giurleo for weeks.
"Luckily, it just turned into a happy coincidence of a tale of two moms," Giurleo said.
A mystery AirTag sent one mom and @BrevardSheriff on a cross country chase to find out if someone was stalking her son - she found an AirTag she never bought hidden in his shoe. @fox35orlando hears from the mom and son on what could have been a crime turning into a coincidence! pic.twitter.com/OPqBhAf2Nq
— Esther Bower (@estherbower_tv) April 11, 2024
While the incident caused significant distress for the Florida mom, she said she has actually learned something valuable about the capabilities of AirTags. Giurleo now believes that tracking devices could be a useful tool for parents to keep tabs on their children, especially in crowded theme parks or event settings.
"We have never had AirTags," she said. "I knew about them with luggage and keys and things like that. I never thought about them when it came to tracking your kids."
While Giurleo's story turned out to be nothing but a great tale to share at Thanksgiving family gatherings for years to come, there are serious potential dangers to these tiny, convenient tags.
In June 2022, a 26-year-old Indianapolis man was allegedly killed by his ex-girlfriend after she reportedly placed an AirTag on the back of his car and used it to secretly track his movements before fatally confronting him, according to CBS News.
In 2022, more than three dozen plaintiffs joined a class-action lawsuit filed in California, alleging that AirTags have become a "weapon of choice" for stalkers and abusers. The lawsuit claims Apple failed to properly address known risks with the product, leading to a surge in real-world harms, according to Ars Technica.
Uh-oh! Apple's in hot water as a class-action lawsuit claims their AirTag tracking devices have led to unwanted stalking and abuse. Time for Apple to step up and address these serious privacy concerns.https://t.co/WdqwUQhRB7#invasionofprivacy #datasafety #privacymatters pic.twitter.com/7VXmB1ZGAM
— PanquakePpl (@PanquakePpl) April 10, 2024
The lawsuit alleges there has been an "explosion of reporting" in AirTag stalking cases, including reports of at least 150 police incidents in the U.S. as of April 2022. In one metropolitan area, Tulsa, Oklahoma, 19 such cases were reported.
The lawsuit alleges that creeps and stalkers have hidden AirTags in people's cars, purses and even stitched inside a child's teddy bear.
The complaint says AirTags "allow stalkers to follow their victims' movements in real time and to undo any attempt on the part of the victim to evade or hide from the stalker."
Chilling rise of AirTag stalking as Apple device is branded 'gift to abusers' by @iEllieFry.
Dr Charlotte Proudman, "AirTag stalking is not just a technological problem but societal. The normalisation of coercive control in relationships is the cause."https://t.co/HwlrnoYdAT
— Dr Charlotte Proudman (@DrProudman) April 24, 2023
"With a price point of just $29, it has become the weapon of choice of stalkers and abusers," the lawsuit says, Ars Technica reported.
The lawsuit chronicles the harrowing experiences of people like Brittany Alowonle and Àine O'Neill, illustrating the devastating impacts that tracking devices can have on victims.
Alowonle, a Georgia resident, said that she and her young daughter had been targeted by an unknown AirTag stalker "without knowing by whom or why."
Alowonle is further tormented by the frequent alerts and chimes from the AirTags, which confirm their presence but provide no clues about her stalker's identity. "These chimes, to Alowonle, only signal that she's being perpetually watched," the lawsuit says.
The experience of Àine O'Neill, an Irish national living in California, was equally harrowing. O'Neill had been pursuing her Hollywood dreams when she discovered AirTags were being used to monitor her movements.
Feeling powerless to identify her stalker or assess the danger, O'Neill made the difficult choice to abandon her career aspirations and return to Ireland.
Technology has always been a double-edged sword, providing both convenience and comfort while making it easier for those with evil motives to prey on people.
But with the increase of devices that can stalk, track and map people's thoughts, these risks may soon start to outweigh the benefits.
The emergence of sophisticated tracking devices has empowered a new breed of digital-age "outlaws" -- stalkers, abusers and others who seek to exert control over their victims through such technology.
For parents, staying vigilant is key, especially in an increasingly devious culture.
Until laws catch up with technology and tech companies are held liable for products that can put people in harm's way, and strict penalties are enforced for such crimes, we will be living in a virtual Wild West.
